Mark holds a belief that we at Vocus very much endorse. Twitter is more than just a broadcast station, it is a communication channel. Moreover, he believes that Twitter might just be the greatest lead generation tool ever invented (we are not arguing).

Following Mark’s presentation we were inundated with questions, many of which, due to time constraints, we were unable to handle online. Therefore, we were delighted when Mark agreed to answer additional questions here on the Vocus Blog.

Q. We are a charity trying to use Twitter more effectively, what would you suggest?

The issue most charities have on Twitter is that all they do is turn up wanting donations. That won’t get you anywhere. Much better is to simply raise awareness of your name and cause. Search for people talking about the issues your charity helps. Chat to people, answer questions, be a support and help account. And show up on a regular basis.

Q. What would you recommend as the success criteria for Not for Profit organizations?

This could be a variety of things. Sign-ups for your email newsletter, website traffic, donations, enquiries, etc.

Q. What is a reasonable amount of tweets to put out every day? We were told four but that feels so limiting!

I would suggest five to10 tweets per day that you originate. Then you need to add onto that figure your replies. Have a balanced approach some social chit chat, some asking questions, some answering questions, some photos, adding value, helping out, helping your customers.

Q. Can you suggest any tips for getting more people to follow?

Add value, be interesting and be interested. Have a good photo, interesting Bio, and tweet. Find local people and introduce yourself to them. Help and support others. Answer questions.

Q. Although you can search general conversations to begin engaging with a targeted audience; would you say that searching hashtags rather than conversations is more useful?

I would search for both. Hashtags are often a good way to find an audience all congregated around a certain topic.

Q. How do you get employees to get more involved with your company’s social media?

Typically this comes from the marketing department. They need to enthuse its benefits and encourage their staff to get involved. The staff need guidelines, guidance, training and support.

Q. My company works for a small UK breaks company and we use Twitter and Facebook in a similar way. Should there be a lot of definition between the two social networks?

Yes. They are usually different audiences. You should use different language. You can say a lot more on Facebook. But many of the same rules apply. Be consistent, answer and help others. Share photos, interesting things and don’t just broadcast.

Q. We have to budget our time. How much time should be spent in a business for Twitter activity?

You don’t get a medal just for turning up or having a social media account. To really benefit you have to invest time and energy. As a minimum you must be thinking at least 20 – 30 minutes per day. If you don’t have that or can’t spare that, then my advice would be not to bother. One tweet per day with not much else won’t get you very far.

Q. I recently joined Twitter, what’s the first step – to get followers or start tweeting content?

Add a good photo, add a memorable bio, start telling people you know, start telling your existing customers and take it slow. Start tweeting a combination of social chit chat, advice, adding value, answering questions, asking questions, and be interested in others.

Q. Is Twitter about following as many people or gaining followers?

No. What you are really after is listeners. You get listeners over time. Too many people follow thousands in the hope they will all follow back. Some will, but it’s not a good strategy to do that as those people are not listening to you, they are simply following you back as you followed them. It’s a quality game and a slow burn game.

Q. Should brands provide customer service on Twitter or should they take it offline.

Twitter is a great place to provide customer service. Start there, deal with the issue, answer the problem, help the person. However there might be a time when it’s best to take it private or take it to a new medium.

Q. Is it worth sticking to all business relevant content on Twitter, or will people engage with a wider range of content more?

No. You should have a balanced approach. People get bored and will switch off if all you do is tweet business stuff. Be interesting, be funny, add photos, ask questions, answer questions, be social.